Web Design Student
Millikin University

Lorin Glazer

Learning Review

User Knowledge-  I learned a lot about Dreamweaver 8 this semester as well as creating web pages. The tutorials helped to gain familiarity with the program.  I learned a lot about CSS but I still need to work on it a lot. A really helpful plan I learned was how to set up my workspace. Organization helped in creating great websites. I also really liked when we learned how to define a site. I have always wondered how it is done and now I know. I included this on my personal website as well as in my individual project. Another fun concept I learned was how to link. I actually think linking is fun. I have learned various ways to link depending on the situation that arises..   

Design Knowledge- Design knowledge is very important. Over the semester we have looked at many other websites. I saw a basic layout everyone used. Navagation links on the left, Title at the top and so on. I learned how to cluster information, for example in the links page project. I also learned less is more.  Its important to have a happy medium of text and visuals. Next, I learned what was appropriate and what was not. I had to make different judgments when I was doing a professional website. I had to stick with a more classic design.  Function of the website was also important of the design. It was always important to know what the website was serving as. Lastly, I learned how important It is to maintain a website. Updates and changes should be done regularly. 

Project Development Knowledge- I learned a lot in this area, when I worked with my own client on my individual project. When developing a project there is a lot need. It's important to know what the websites purpose is. It is also important to gather a ton of information in order to create text on the page. Always getting the information right then and there if possible is better. It's also nice to set up a default page so to speak. If you create one main page and just change the images in content, it usually looks nice and consistent. I also learned that making a website takes time! Allotting time aside for my projects was key in order to successful complete them.    

Tutoring Knowledge- Getting help from other student at the same level I was working was nice. Sometimes students who just learned how to do, lets saw a rollover, taught me better then some one who was more advance. Jim was also a big help in teaching me more advance skills. When we worked on the Mayfly project together he would stop to explain or show me how he added certain feature to the website. Rachel my computer neighbor would also help with the little question. We would help each other until we understood the answer to the specific question we had. Lastly Dr Brooks was a huge help in learning how to create websites. He would sit with me till I turned him blue in the face with questions.  

Hands On Training Tutorial Responses

Client Case Development

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/2008_Presidential_Election
This website is both informational and flashy. A lot of audios and videos were added to this site, as well as pictures. There are a lot of information boxes on the homepage which link to the other pages with in the site. Not only did they include top stories they included, a fun question answer box for the viewers to use. This website was about the election as a whole. We see pictures of current  people running as well as information either about them or on the election.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1

In this official website on Hillary we first are approached with a “sign up” page.  You can either choose to sign up or skip. Then one links to the home page. Again this website is both entertaining and informational. Big letters and fun colorful shapes are used to get our attention.  As we go to the other pages in the site we start to see more text and it appears to be less busy.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

Ron Pauls website is very busy. You are first approached with a mini slide show of advertisements at the top of this page. As we work our way down we see more that we can interact with. For example there is a networking section, a picture trail section, and sign up section. As well as the interactive sections there are sections on articles, press releases, and upcoming events which are all informational. As we continue in the site we see at least one picture on each page. We also noticed the use of many links within the text.   

Chapter 10

I did not get the Style Rendering tool bar. Are the directions in the book different from what we should do to get it on our computers. It was interesting how to make a different version to print. Now I think I know how they make printer friendly pages. Right or wrong? This chapter was short. I understand that tool bar i talked about earlier i just could not get it. :( Hmmm.

Chapter 9

First i changes the transparency. I see what it does but i don't understand the point of making the whole page like that. Can you use that on a single image? Never mind I continued to exercise two and i learned how to darken a section. That blue box is really cool!!

CSS was a little easier this time around. I think i might want to use it and get more comfortable with it. It is fun if I know what I'm doing.

I also learned different ways to insert images in table cells properly instead of cutting and pasting. It does not looks as good when i view it on the Internet.

Chapter 8

This chapter seemed pretty easy. I learned how to make / create table better then i have done them in the past. I learned about padding and spacing where before i never really worried about that stuff. It was fun to insert the tea pots in to the table without them looking goofy. I also learned how to change visual things on the table for example the boarder... It was hard for me to do that using css though. I am not goos with css!!! Ill probably have to go back and redo rounded corners because though the book taught me i still have not gotten it down pat on my own with out looking at the book.

Web Design
Links Page Critique

I was supposed to analyze Rachel Cummin's bookmarks, but she emailed me and said it was not up. SO i analyzed Jim Thompsons. His website is awsome. I feel like he has experiance in web design. It is very professional and organized. Im am jealous of his work. The links are easy to read and are appropriate for the topic he choose. It is also easy to navigate around. And the content on the page is just enough. He is really good at webdesign.

resume critique

Lorin, your resume URLs were messed up. Try again.

Chapter 7

The last chapter was difficult. I understand the idea better of why it is helpful to no CSS. I feel like i need a tutor to help me though it the first time on my own web page. Chapter 7 continues with using CSS. I did it right, but till do not understand what i exactly did. I do not no the codes. The I learned about fonts and how to add and edit the font list. Never knew it was there. Then i liked how i learned how to align the picture and text on the page better. I thought it was better to do it from the align pop up then what i did which was clicking on the icons. Then lastly I got to create list and media text. I'm really excited to add the media text to my book marks page. I tried but the only think that showed up when i did it was a gray box with an F in it. Did i do it wrong? [You probably used a typeface that doesn't work for flashtext. -dr.b]

Can't wait for chapter 8

Chapter 6

Chapter was was annoying. I don't understand anything from the chapter. I did fallow the instructions and did everything right. Is there a way to design the web page not using the CSS stuff?? The main thing i like in chapter 6 even though i did not understand how i did it was exercise #7. I liked that it put the boxes around the words also it made the page look nicer as well as cleaned up that section of the page. Again i don't understand anything i did using CSS or how it changed the page or the point of it. Is there other things i can do to accomplish the same tasks?

A Favorite Website:

Web Address: http://www.oldnavy.com/
Site About: The website, I enjoyed was oldnavy.com It is well organized, easy to use. It is well organized. The home page self explains what the website is about. This website is not overwhelming and to technical. When you pick a category ex. women it is still organized. On the left side i breaks down what you are looking for. The logo stays on every page of the website. I also like it cause it is updated regularly.

"Site Analysis"
I think out of all the websites we have looked at, Old Navy is still rated high for orientation, navigation and content quality.

The Old Navy website is very easy to understand, and to familiarize with.  The homepage of the website, has pictures of a women, boy and baby, surrounded by two squares of clothes.  Right in the middle it has a 25% OFF baby, kids and maternity.  The words free shipping is big and bold near the main Old Navy logo, which brings you back to the homepage.  I could tell automatically that this was a clothing site where you could purchase clothes online. Above the pictures I just described there are eight links to different genders and ages: men, women, women plus, maternity, boys, girls, baby boys, baby girls.  If you put the cursor on top of those words they turn orange.  These eight links are in the same place on every page. There are also available, in a search box in the top right hand side of the page.  If you click on one of the links, it brings you to the page for that link.  All the pages for those eight links have the same format.  Different links for example: jeans, pants, t-shirts, long sleeve ect are always on the left hand side of the page written in blue. When you put your cursor over those links a white background shows up.

At the way top of every page there is a dark gray tool bar.  In white writing, they advertise their other Gap Inc brand names with their links attached. Smart!  At the way bottom of every page there are links to the latest buzz, which I assume is news about them, then the Old Navy credit card. And store locator, which I think should be in a more visible place.  If I was new to this page that would tell me that this is not just an online store. Another hint that would direct me to this thought is the link at the top that says women’s plus. On top of the words women’s plus, in a smaller print states: exclusively online. The choices made for the web design has been good ones. Old Navy’s website is easy to understand and navigate.

The content is appropriate for the website.  I think it is geared to be easy and fast. I don’t think it is geared to a specific gender/sex. The colors are pretty neutral. There is a lot of blue though it is part of the old navy color scheme.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 was also a lot of fun for me. I learned a lot of new cool things. First i learned how to link. I really enjoyed, using the point to file. Then I learned how to create email links. and my favorite idea i learned was creating anchors. I really enjoyed creaing thoses to get to certain part of the page. I alsoways wondered how that was done. Today was basiclly a big linking day!!! Now i can link away. I not goning to lie I am nervous to start the next chapter. It looks difficult and more complicated.

Chapter 4

Chapter four was a lot of fun. I never thought i would say that. I did it on my own with out help. I have more confidence. It was real cool to link the stuff to other pages. The coolest part of the whole chapter though was to write in the description when it is found after using the search engine as well as key words for when using search engines. This is becoming easier for me then harder. Im getting excited about learning how to design web sites. The only problem i had was that i could not get rid of the space in footer between the links i made and the website sentence underneath that was already provide. If i pressed back space then it was all on the same line. But i i pressed enter there was a big space between them. Lastly F12 does not work to look at the page from the Internet. After i explored i figure out how to do it. !!! chapter four was a better experience for me.

Chapter 3

I dont understand what i really did in the book today. I think that the book could be more specific. I feel like i am reading and doing, but not comprehending. I'm a hands on learner but not by book. I could not go back and do what i did today with out the book. A positive though is that at the end i understood how i linked in mywebsite folder. I thought i was cool when i opened up the the folder on my desktop and there was my link i put in.

It was a difficult day on the mac... but i think i will be ok ...hopefully

Chpaters 1 & 2

What are codes exactly? Is it a language for computers? How do you learn them? What are opening, closing and empty tags? What does .com stand for so at the end of a page i would use .html instead of .com

This book is very confusing to me right now... its is only the first chapter i know but it seems like jiberish....Is this ok?